Jordan HammBrock Purdy just went from a quarterback who could barely get recruited heading into his senior year to a NFL Draft pick. The former Perry Puma was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the final pick in the NFL Draft, making him Mr. Irrelevant.
Purdy brought the Iowa State program to new heights in his four years as a starter, helping the Cyclones win the 2020 Fiesta Bowl. In four years, he completed 67.7% of his passes for 12,170 yards, 81 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,177 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Purdy had a 30-17 record as a starter during his time in Ames with notable wins over the perennial conference powers. The Cyclones started as giant slayers with Purdy under-center to a consistent option to compete for a Big 12 championship.
Purdy had a record-setting career at Perry High School, where he totaled 8,932 passing yards, 107 passing touchdowns and 31 touchdowns. He also rushed for over 2,300 yards and 20 touchdowns. He helped lead Perry to a state title appearance against the Chandler Wolves in 2017 and had the Pumas to within a touchdown late in the game.
He had one of the most improbable recruitment stories to get to Iowa State. After that decorated career, the offers were very quiet, partly due to his 6-foot stature, with Boise State offering in mid-December to go with NAU, UNLV and New Mexico State. But there was a new concept called the early signing day that was introduced. Players did not have to wait until February to make their commitments official. They could signing in mid-December.
That freed up coaches to look at the available players still on the board rather than having to babysit their verbal commits that were at risk to flip. Purdy shot up prospect boards as a best-available quarterback. He also got a clearer picture of where he stood with each program.
UCF, Iowa State, Colorado State, Alabama, Illinois and Texas A&M all offered in January. He eventually chose the Cyclones and helped build one of college football’s most stable programs.
